Improvement in machine for picking cotton and other waste



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i Letters Patent No. 99,699, lated February V8, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE FOR vIIEICKIITC-.- COTTDN AND `OTHER WASTE.

Th Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

ester, in the county of Stratford, and State of New Hampshire,haveinvented an Improved Machine for Picking Waste; and I do herebydeclare that the 'ol-l lowing, taken in connection'with thedrawingswhich accompany and formA part of this specification, is adescription of 'my invention sniiicient to enable those skilled in theart to practise it.

My'inventiou relates to theconstrnction and organization of' mechanismfor picking cotton or other fibrous waste, rags, remnant-s, 86e.,te-reconvert the same into fibre, to be carded and spun.

lo produce a gradual-separation of such material into its originaliibres, or into loose assemblages of straight fibres, I employ afeed-cylinder, a main stripper or comb-cylinder, and a receiver cylinderof peculiar construction, as also certain auxiliary cylinders orlworkers oi'novel construction, and the several distinctive featuresconstitutingmy invention will he clearly understood'after I havedescribed in detail the construction and arrangement of the mechanism,as shown in the accompanying drawings, which represent a machineembodying my improvements.

In these drawings-` A denotes asectional elevation of the machine;

B, a plan ofthe-machine, the main cylinder being removed;

C, a view ofthe main` cylinder.

a denotes the main frame, having suitable bearings for supporting theshafts or journals of the respective rolls and cylinders.

At one end of the frame is a feed-apron, l), upon which is placed thewaste to be picked, the apron conveying the material to the cylinder c,by which the material is fed to the action of the main comb or cylinderd.

Thefeed-cylinder c has two sets of teeth, e andf, the teeth e beingsimply feed-teeth, designed to-carry the material' from the apron btothe main cylinder, while the'teeth f are designed as hold-backs to hookupon the waste and holdit between the feed-cylinder and throat-piece,against the pulling action of the teeth ofthe-main comb-cylinder.

Each feed-tooth eis made as seen enlarged at D, and each tooth f has ahooking form, as seen at E, and as the waste is seized by the feed-teethe it iscarried between the cylinder and Aa throat-bar, h, until itemerges at the back of the cylinder, between 4it and the upper edge ofthe throat-plate h, seen at A, where it is seized by the teeth of themain cylinder, (rotating with great relative speech) the fibres catchingupon and being held back by the hooks fand the edge of the plate, andbeing ldrawn and pulled by the .nain

comb teeth,vwhich thus tend to loosen them and disunite the twisted,interlocked, or interwoven fibres..

The feed-cylinder, with its teeth e f, is constructed `by cutting aroundthe cylindrical surface of' a plain cylinder two adjacent spiralgroovesand inserting in one of thesegrooves a long wire or ribbon,F,"liaving one .edge formed with teeth c, and in the otheralong ribbonor wire, G, having one edge formed 'with teeth f.

The feed-cylinder rotates in the direction ofthe arrow, as seen at A,and the main comb-cylinderiin the same direction, and the points of theteeth ofthe 'main cylinder just clear the edge ot' the cross-plate h asthey rotate. j

The cylinder d is constructed withaseries of heads, t, adj ust-ablyfixed on a shaft, k, so that they may be turned thereon, and secured indiferent relative positions, as desired, and from each of which headsproject arms Z.

To every set of arms ('n line) a toothed plate, m, is fastened, thethree arms being so arranged that the plate sets in a slightly spiralposition, so that the teeth of each plate, from end to end, come againstthe edge of the plate h in succession, and thereby strip the Waste fromthe feed-cylinder more perfectly than if the points of the teeth setparallel to the axis of the cylinder, the adjustment above named of theheads i allowing anyrequired variation of this spira-l position.

Theedge of each card-plate m is serrated, to form l the teeth g, and thearms Z are placed at an angle to l f k give the teeth a downwardinclination at the point or.

line where they seize the waste from the feed-cylinder, any fibre caughtbythe teeth being thereby prevented from slipping oi of them as theypass by the feed-cylinder and throat-plate h. i

Beneath the main cylinder is a series of workers or worker-cylinders, no p.

Each of these' workers is composed of a series of plates, g, having onone edge serrated teeth, o', each set -of teeth on each worker beingpreferably set on an angle o r spil-ally, as seen at B, and the platebeing so formed andfastened to the cylinder that the teeth project outfrom the surface at an angle, as seen at A.

The/main comb-cylinder irst delivers the waste (partially stripped) tothe teeth of the worker n, (which worker rotates in the direction of thearrow thereon,)

and thence to the workers o and p in succession. The material is keptdirectly between the main comb-teeth and the teeth r'of the respectiveworkers, the fibre being brushed from the teeth as they pass downward intheir rotation by stationary brushes s, one to each worker; and theteeth of each worker, being inclined in opposite direct-ion to the teethof the main.' cylinder, operateas hooks to hold back the fibre, as themain tceth at their greater speed, drag the material along over therespective workers the workers all carrying the material forward towardsthe receiver, but furnishing in eieet so many stationary hooks, by whichto grasp the material, while the main card-teet-hpick and comb it intolong and loose parallel libres.'

As the fibre, after subjection tothe successive operations between themain com .-cylinder and the feedroll, and main card-teeth and iirst,second, and third workers, is further moved on by the main cylinder, itis carried against the receiver cylinder n, which rotates in oppositedirection to the main cylinder.

This receiver is studded with hooks. or teeth, which incline forward, orin the direction in which they rotate, and these hooks, catching uponthe fibre on the main comb-teeth, 4strip oi such bre, which, adhering tothe teeth, is carried around on the receiver cylinder, until it meets arotary brush, c, by which it is removed and thrown from the machine incondition for carding. f

The receiver cylinder u is composed of' a series of rings, t, with'peripheral hook-forming notches, the rings being slipped-upon a suitableroll, between heads u', a washer, x,-being interposed between each twoadjacenttoothed rings. While the hooks are so inclined that they seizeupon and retain the fibres as they pass the main card, the rotarybrushes c moving at greater speed, easily strip the fibre from thereceiver, and throw it from the machine.

A carding-rnachine may be directly connected with the picker, taking thematerial from the recfeiver a.

By the peculiar constrnctionand arrangement of the respective teeth ofthe main cylinder and the worker.cylinders, the coarsest of waste may becheaply and speedily reduced or converted into fibre ready for Besidesthe strength obtained in the stripping-teeth by forming them asdescribed, it will be obvious that they can 4be made at small cost, andcan be easily replaced when worn.

In theconstruction of a working machine, the throatplate hispreferablymade with provision. for adjustment toward and from themain`cylinder, and the bearings of' the receiver-shaft and rotarybrush-shaft are also made laterally adjustable, and the bearings of theworker cylindercadj nstable radially to set the workers more or lessdistant from the main cylinder, these and otherjadjustments being madeas circumstances may require.

I claim the main cylinderd, made with a series of serrated plates set attangential angles, and secured to heads which are capable of adjustmentaround the v Also, in combination with the workers a o 11,-the

stationary brushes s.

Also, in combination with. the main cylinderd, constructed as described,the receiver u, having 'hooking teeth formed on the peripheries ofrings, substantially as shown and described. y,

Also, the combination, with the cylinder c, havirg the feed-teeth e, andthe hooking-teeth f, of the. throatpiece h, constructed and arranged asdescribed.

I GEORGEJE. PALMER.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. FULLER, SARAH PALMER.

